Become a 2025 Folly Frolic sponsor today!
About Folly Frolic
Sponsors will join us for a festive party with fellow Folly fanatics! Enjoy delicious hors d’oeuvres, craft cocktails, and a gourmet chocolate & bubbly bar while supporting our iconic, 125-year-old jewel box theater and the show-stopping artists presented inside it. However, the celebration of 125 years is too big for our intimate venue so we’re moving the party down 12th street to the equally historic Oliver Building! Originally constructed in 1889 for The Oliver Plow Company, the Oliver building has been lovingly restored over the past decade to preserve the history of the building while also creating a unique and beautiful event space. Instead of squeezing everything into one night, the party will take place on November 13, and the stunning performance by Samara Joy will be held (at the Folly) on November 22nd at 7:30pm.
About Samara Joy
Samara Joy is returning to Kansas City for the first time since her 2023 sold-out concert at the Folly Theater. Critics are already comparing this 25-year-old, 5-time GRAMMY® winning, once-in-a-generation vocalist to Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, and Billie Holiday. She gained recognition at age 19 after winning the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and became known for her rich, velvety yet precociously refined and masterful interpretation of jazz standards.
In 2023, she won her first two GRAMMY® awards for “Best New Artist” and “Best Jazz Vocal Album.” Her concerts sell-out around the world as she continues to demonstrate that she is a rightful heiress of the sound, technique, and charisma that defined her jazz heroines – including Vaughan, Betty Carter, Abbey Lincoln, and Carmen McRae. In 2025, she won additional GRAMMYS® for A Joyful Holiday. Her latest album, Portrait, co-produced with Brian Lynch, highlights her lyrical talents and earned her an NAACP Image Award.